campsites

Campsites in the USA and Canada

It is illegal in most American states and Canadian provinces to camp with a tent, RV (recreational vehicle, i.e. a motorhome) or any other means anywhere other than in officially designated campsites.

Campsites in the USA and Canada mostly fall into two categories, namely public and private.

Public Campsites

Public campsites tend to be simple, with only limited facilities. Some but not all have a small camp shop. Some only cater for tent campers, some also take RV's (recreational vehicles, i.e. motorhomes).

There are about 310,000 public campsites in the USA according to the 1995 edition of Encarta, not counting backcountry campsites.

Backcountry campsites in National Parks (etc) are located well away from roads and usually have no facilities at all and only cater for backpackers pitching tents, who carry in all they need and carry out all their rubbish, in accordance with the "take only pictures, leave only footprints" ethos.

Public campsites tend to become full during the summer holiday period.

Private Campsites

Some private campsites are located near towns, while many are out in the country, sometimes near National Parks and other similar scenic areas. There are about 800,000 private campsites in the USA according to the 1995 edition of Encarta.

Private campsites tend to offer far more facilities than public campsites. These facilities include electrical, water and sewage hookups for RV's (recreational vehicles, i.e. motorhomes), small restaurants, etc.

Some private campsites also offer camping cabins.

Two of the best known chains of private campsites in the USA and Canada are KOA (Kampgrounds of America) and Good Samparks.

Contact Information

KOA's UK fax number for campsite reservations is 0800-895024 (toll-free).

US National Park Service Includes information about campsites in US National Parks and other US National Park Service areas.

Parks Canada (Canadian National Park Service) Includes information about campsites in Canadian National Parks.

The individual web sites for the state parks in each American state and the provincial parks in each Canadian province usually have useful information about campsites in these parks. Refer to the External Links page for the addresses of some of these web sites (under the name of each state).

L.L. Bean Parksearch L.L. Bean is a sporting equipment and clothing supplier. This site contains a lot of useful information on the US and Canadian National Parks and other scenic areas.

GORP (Great Outdoors Recreation Pages) This site has a great deal of useful information about the US and Canadian National Parks and other scenic areas.

KOA (Kampgrounds Of America) This site includes a description of what KOA has to offer, plus a campsite directory with maps, photographs and other details.

North American Roads Travel Network This site is about travel by RV (recreational vehicle, motorhome). It appears to be connected with Good Samparks.

Trailer Life - Campground and RV Park Directory